Chapter 47: Fail. Fail. Fail.
~~~
Naruto soared through the air as he dodged another attack from Gaara. A grunt escaped his lips as he ran up the trunk of the tree, and launched himself away to another tree.
"HAHAHAH! Are you scared now?!" Yelled Gaara, his face wearing a large, but devilish grin. Though Naruto did waver with his poker face as he kept on dodging.
"Fear is simply a state of mind. When feeling fear, all you have to do is overcome it," Naruto said, swiftly landing on another branch before launching himself towards Gaara with no fear imprinted in his mind.
"DIE!" Gaara then shot his hand right towards Naruto at quick speed. Without much thought, Naruto replaced himself with a log and disappeared from his sight.
Bits of shards of the log then attached themselves on to Gaara. Naruto then appeared right behind Gaara in an instant. Ducking down, Naruto unleashed his Susano'o with a large ribcage with a large arm attached it.
With very little hesitation, Naruto then guided his Susano'o to grab Gaara. Tightening the hold that Naruto had on Gaara, a deafening scream of pain unleashed from within.
"AGHHHHH!" Screamed Gaara, feeling the pain. Naruto threw Gaara into a tree that made him feel even more pain coursing through his fragile body.
"Losing is unacceptable — winning is the only true necessity," stated Naruto, pushing a bit of his bangs to give him a more clear sight/vision of Gaara.
"Your. . . existence. . . I hate it!" Yelled Gaara, jumped towards Naruto with intent to kill him. Stretching his sand-arm out towards Naruto, his face ever-so crazy for the potential blood that could spill.
Naruto did not block the hit, but he did use his Susano'o to cancel his attack out.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Gaara kept on yelling the same word over and over again. He hated Naruto and his complexion. The way Naruto thought of him nothing but a petty existence angered him.
And thus by killing Naruto, the person who thought of him nothing but a bug will truly make him feel alive. Naruto stayed silent through this whole ordeal and kept moving forward.
Naruto moved to the side slightly to the side to dodge the potential blow that came his way from Gaara himself.
Everyone around them knew it -- this battle between the two strong and elite-tier Shinobi was purely just a one-sided battle.
One that was on Naruto's side.
And his alone.
"Sorry, Gaara," said Naruto. "But I outclass you in every way possible." He then powered up and ordered his Susano'o to counter.
Gaara widened his eyes in pain -- blood appeared and sputtered out of his mouth. His body pnce again met the bark of the trunk of the tree.
Once a person falls, they finally know how truly imperfect they are. Naruto thought to himself, bringing his guard up as he had his piercing gaze on Gaara.
But that's good.
Why is that?
'Cause only imperfect people can form a truly perfect world.
Perfection does not know how it feels to fall down and regain their balance -- they know nothing.
And because of that they have no true understanding of what is needed to attain the impossible challenge. The impossible challenge of a perfect world. One that a person could only dream of. One that an imperfect person can only attain.
Change was needed in this messed up and cruel world that everyone lived in. But the only way you create the change you want is to. . .
Become the driving force of it.
And Gaara?
He was just an example that Naruto shall serve to the world. That if no one else is willing to attain such a goal. Then he will do it himself. Because if no one else, then only he can accomplish it.
He must not waver and his conviction must never be lost once more throughout his conquest of peace.
I won't falter. I won't hold and pull back. I must. . . Naruto thought of a few more words to finish with as he looked at Gaara screaming in pain.
Press forward.
Like a King.
Naruto jumped right towards Gaara in their one-sided battle. He turned off his Susano'o so his eyes could rest just a bit more.
His Mangekyou Sharingan morphed back into its original 3-tomoe Sharingan. Naruto created a clone right in front of him as Gaara shot his hand that was made of sand.
"DIE!" Naruto heard Gaara yell in utter pain. He jumped on his clone's back to dodge the attack. His eyes once again locked on Gaara to get in on his attack.
Focus. Naruto thought to himself. He saw the sand arm get aimed right towards him. Naruto then meticulously moved his body through his body and managed to slip through the fingers of the hand in a swift motion.
His feet attached itself on the sand arm and made his way right towards Gaara. Naruto could practically feel the arm of sand chase right after him.
With slick movement, Naruto passed through Gaara and quickly maneuvered and used his feet to kick the back of Gaara's head to disrupt his balance.
Gaara widened his eyes as he felt Naruto's kick and his own sand splattering all over his face. Naruto then pulled out a kunai from his holster and gave Gaara's back a quick slash.
With enough power, Naruto jumped away in just the nick of time before Gaara retaliated against him. His eyes were full of crazed anger and the thirst for blood.
Naruto saw Gaara place his hand right over his face, trembling as he did.
"Mother. . . mother. . . mother," said Gaara, repeating the word over and over again. Naruto only looked at Gaara with pure indifference showing from his eyes.
Naruto kept his guard up as he Gaara spasmed out from reality. From this moment, Naruto knew that it was going to be much harder than before. His eyes focused on Gaara with such intensity.
Forward. Naruto thought as he saw Gaara get fully incased in sand. A manic and devilish grin still on his face as he swung right towards Naruto. He clicked his tongue as Gaara glided towards him.
My eyes. . . I'll be blind before I turn 14. Naruto thought to himself as his 3-tomoe Sharingan that was hiding behind his contacts morphed into the Mangekyou Sharingan.
He knew the risks from doing this. But. . .
Risks are needed to change this world.
A grey skeletal ribcage and a large arm that was attached to the ribcage. Naruto slightly grit his teeth as he placed his hand cover an eye. He felt the pain that coursed through his body and eyes.
"Losing your touch?!" Yelled Gaara, arriving right in front of Naruto with his arm outstretching right towards Naruto to attempt to crush the Susano'o.
"Hardly," said Naruto, replying to Gaara as he deflected the said move with strong grip with his Susano'o.
Stronger. Stronger. Naruto thought to himself as he gazed at Gaara with his burning eyes and body. Naruto could feel it.
The differences in power was slowly closing. Naruto kept on gazing at the Jinchuriki right in front of him.
"You're strong, I'll give you that much. But that only means you're an obstacle that I must simply overcome." Naruto did not want to fail.
It didn't matter how much his sight declines because of this.
What truly mattered to him was a victory. One that he would get from defeating a fellow Jinchuriki.
Must. . . become. . . strong. To accomplish his goals and reach the top of the world. He knew it from deep within.
I'm truly a twisted individual. Naruto thought to himself, jumping right towards Gaara in fast speeds.
Gaara managed to react to this with a jump of his own. The two clashed. Naruto bought his foot and swung it right towards Gaara's sand body. Gaara managed to catch it with his free hand.
With intent to kill, Gaara threw Naruto right at the furthest tree possible to gain maximum speed. Hardening his features, Naruto managed to stop the momentum of the throw.
Redirecting himself, Naruto stood on top of the bark of the tree. Summoning multiple clones right behind him, Naruto threw them all towards Gaara in unfathomed speeds.
Naruto then threw a pair of kunai right after the clones. Gaara brought one arm and swung it at the clones while extending the arm of sand to increase the output of power.
The numerous kunai that followed the clones entered the veil of cloudy smoke. Naruto then followed up by running on the very branch of the tree that he was on and jumped right towards Gaara as the clouds of smoke was just beginning to disappear.
Once it fully disappeared, Naruto appeared right in front of Gaara as he blocked the kunai with the arm full of sand. With full intent of taking advantage of his current situation.
Only one? Naruto thought to himself as he released a small huff from his mouth as he appeared from below the branch that Gaara was standing on.
Looking above, Naruto used his Susano'o to crush the branch above him. The countless splintering wood appeared as he saw Gaara fall from the said branch.
Maneuvering his body, Naruto managed to narrowly dodge a hit from Gaara. Naruto brought the arm of his Susano'o on Gaara's shoulder and flung himself away to gather some distance between the two of them.
He hid by a tree and turned off his Susano'o for a moment or two.
Naruto wanted to avoid using his Mangekyou as little as possible, but it seems like it was going to be unavoidable. But then again, to change such a twisted world, one must take the risks needed to do so.
No matter how twisted it can be.
Naruto then felt the wood behind him burst into splinters. Scoffing, Naruto felt the sand-veiled arm attach to him and throw him away to then nearest tree.
Crashing into the tree, Naruto managed to cushion his hit on the tree with a few Shadow Clones. Naruto knew that if he didn't react now, he would be soon entering a cycle of hits by Gaara himself.
Naruto internally sighed to himself as he got back up to his feet and kept his guard back up. He activated his 3-tomoe Sharingan and jumped in the air just before Gaara managed to get hold of him once again.
Naruto had his gaze glued right on Gaara without wavering whatsoever.
He then summoned multiple Shadow Clones once again and broke a large margin of the branch and threw them right towards Gaara at a constant rate.
With his eyes reading each movement that Gaara made, Naruto was fully focused on defeating Gaara without any hesitation. Dodging the two arms of sand, Naruto got closer to Gaara.
Naruto had many clones follow his steps.
Soon enough, Naruto had hid himself well within the veils of the Shadow Clones that surrounded them all.
"Gaara," said the real Naruto, revealing his current location while hiding within the armies of clones that protected him; their King — their Emperor.
"To be defeat me, you'll need to try harder." Naruto then appeared right in front of Gaara with his usual deadly eyes. With much force, Naruto punched Gaara, and his clones were quickly appearing right behind Gaara in an instant.
Activating his Mangekyou Sharingan, Naruto continued to watch Gaara's movements as their fight was ongoing. Charging once again, Naruto saw the arms of Gaara spasm out of control.
The arms then started to spin around, trying to clobber Naruto as he got closer once again. With unnatural prediction, Naruto managed to maneuver his body mid-air to dodge one arm.
"Shit," he said before getting slammed by the other arm. Hitting a tree, Naruto gritted his teeth.
"More?! I'll kill you!" Gaara yelled at Naruto with such murderous venom that could make people freeze. As Naruto started to get up, Naruto felt his right eye flare in utter pain.
Fuck. Naruto thought, knowing that he was quite in a dire situation. To think that him, Naruto, would be resorting to so much of his reserves in this fight.
5 seconds. Naruto added to his thoughts as the pain his eyes increased by a few folds. He felt the blood from his right eye drip down and seep out of the palm that was covering his right eye.
"Hey, you look like shit," Naruto heard a feminine voice appear right beside him and disappear with him just before an arm of sand could strangle him to death.
Naruto looked to his side with his uncovered eye.
It was Satsuki.
She was quite surprised by Naruto and his current state — she had never seen him so. . . vulnerable before. All this time, Naruto had a barrier that no one could breach due to his own control.
She could hear his ragged breathing. Her eyes moved up and saw the eyes that Naruto held.
Those eyes. . . Satsuki thought to herself. It was different but he could feel the unwavering power of them that were similar to Itachi's own. To think he had them.
The tenseness of the air around them was killer.
"Naruto," his uncovered eyeball looked at Satsuki. "Don't worry, I'll save you." Naruto slightly widened his eyes as he heard those words as Satsuki jumped in the battle.
This left Naruto to his own thoughts.
Saved? I don't need. . . saving. I don't want to be saved because I can save myself. Naruto thought to himself. All of this — it was his fault because he was too incompetent.
I'm failing. . . because of my own underlying arrogance. And now I'm being saved due to it. Naruto clenched his opposite hand into a fist. His situation wasn't the greatest at the moment.
Naruto looked what was happening right in front of him. It was Satsuki fighting Gaara — an opponent that he was slowly failing to defeat. And it seemed like she was also having a hard time dealing with Gaara also.
We're to weak — I'm too weak. Fuck. Naruto cursed at himself.
I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail. I don't want to fail. Naruto repeating in his mind.
Why have such overwhelming talent when you can't even use it?
Why go and try so hard to create peace for people you don't even know in this unfair and wrong world with just as cruel people in it?
Because. . . I want prove the impossible. That Madara's way of peace is inferior to my own. That is a future that I want. No matter how twisted it is, I'll do whatever it take to achieve. . .
It.
Naruto uncovered his right eyes that had blood dripping down. He slowly go up from his pathetic state. With his eyes no longer being covered by his contacts, Naruto followed their movements with such precision and accuracy,
Satsuki was already as hurt as he was as of right now. He saw bits of blood dripping from her mouth.
"DIE DIE DIE DIE!" Yelled Gaara over and over again as he wanted to kill everyone in his sight with his unstable and deteriorating mind destroying his own self.
Satsuki was trapped and was about to get seriously hurt as Gaara sent an arm of sand right towards her at quick speeds. She was grinding her teeth out of pure frustration.
All of a sudden, she felt someone push her out of the way. Looking to her side, she saw that Naruto was the one that pushed her away. Her eyes tracked his movements as he twisted and turn his body to dodge the speedy arms.
Once Gaara was done, Naruto had his ragged breathing and had his deadly eyes over at Gaara.
"People in this world miss the past, enjoy the present, but me?" Naruto felt pain course through his body as blood slightly dripped down from his right eye once again.
"I seek the future."
~~~